Aspirations Of Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir

Lord Sri Krishna, through His timeless message in the Bhagavad Gita, His wise and pragmatic counsel in the Mahabharata, and His endearing pastimes in the Srimad Bhagavatam has shaped the intellectual, cultural, and religious mindscape of India for millennia.

It is humanly impossible to fully comprehend and estimate the contributions of Lord Sri Krishna to mankind. The vastness and depth of the ennobling influence Lord Sri Krishna has had on humanity is unprecedented in history. Like a child reaching to the moon, we wish to make an attempt to acknowledge and celebrate, on an epic scale, Lord Sri Krishna’s divine blessings to this world. In this light, it is our aspiration to create a world-class and iconic monument for Sri Krishna in the holy land of Vrindavan and proudly place Krishna on the world mindscape and Vrindavan on the world map.

The Architectural Flourish

Vrindavan is revered as a holy town of Krishna temples. Some accounts describe that there are as many as 5000 Krishna temples – big, medium and small; ancient, medieval and recent. We wish to make a bold statement about the importance of Lord Sri Krishna and His divine mission in the world, using the contemporary architectural language. A tall, imposing skyscraper temple will proclaim the status of Vrindavan as India’s spiritual capital. This cultural complex will attract the attention of the world’s thinkers, leaders and other enquiring minds to know more about Lord Sri Krishna and His soothing, healing message for a harried world.

The Societal Transformative Aspirations

From a socio-economic perspective, India is at a unique historical moment in the world. India is at the crossroads of development. The journey of this developing nation since independence has been a long and arduous one. Today the global Indian has truly arrived. India is being increasingly regarded as a leader in talent, higher education and innovation. Stories abound in the media of Indians becoming senators and judges in developed countries, heads of major technology companies and educational institutions, acquiring overseas companies in billion-dollar deals –just to name a few. The hard-working and talented youth of our country have largely contributed to a greater acceptance and respect for Indians across the globe, enhancing our self-confidence and self-esteem.

However, somewhere along the journey, we seem to have lost our way on the moral and ethical front. From being a celebrated land of sages and saintly rulers of impeccable character, today we see the rising graph of crime, corruption, and inequities in our country. These pressing issues seem to eclipse the progress we have achieved in other areas.

It is our strong conviction that an answer for this quandary lies in our ancient but timeless books of wisdom. And that's where we believe the Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir project will play a significant role.

How?

The Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir is not just another sacred edifice of concrete, stone and glass. This project is dedicated to playing a larger role in shaping the future of this country.

Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir will not only house a temple for the worship of Lord Sri Krishna but will also become a centre for disseminating the profound message of the Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam, delivered in a modern context. The design of the temple complex - a fusion of the modern, and traditional Indian temple architecture -symbolizes this aspiration, to present eternal wisdom from the sourcebooks of Krishna, in a way that is relevant to the modern day.

We wish to inculcate the glorious Vedic values in today's youth and thereby develop the exalted character of a true Indian with examples and life philosophy drawn from the Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatam. Crime, corruption, inequities, and other challenges that seem to dominate our contemporary society cannot be reined in merely by improved legislation and stricter law enforcement. They begin in the heart of the individual. To mitigate these debilitating vices in society, the heart of the individual has to be transformed and fundamental revision of worldview is essential. Otherwise, all our attempts will merely be cosmetic - trying to address the symptoms rather than the root cause of the problems.

Srimad Bhagavatam describes the four pillars of spirituality – truthfulness, compassion, austerity and purity. No civilized society can exist or function outside the framework of these values. The Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatam systematically elucidate the comprehensive and logical meaning and purpose of life that makes these values so intrinsic to one’s life. Chanakya Pandit, in his Niti Shastra, has succinctly captured the true Indian spirit. He says:

mātṛvat para-dāreṣu 
para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat 
ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu 
yaḥ paśyati sa paṇḍitaḥ ​ 

A learned person is one who regards every woman other than his wife as his mother, who considers other's wealth to be worthless pebbles and who treats all living entities - humans and animals - as he would unto himself.

This is the true Indian culture. This is the true Indian heritage. These are the true Indian values.

Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir aspires to provide the impetus for and facilitate this transformation of the society, to make Indians responsible global leaders who are guided by a spiritual worldview and imbued with sublime values.

Social Aspirations

Over the last two decades, our social intervention programs have greatly benefitted people in and around Vrindavan. Some of our initiatives in the Braj region are:

  • Akshaya Patra mid-day meal program for the economically challenged children of Braj.
  • Welfare programs for the widows of Vrindavan.
  • Restoration, up-gradation, and rejuvenation of the important sites of Braj where Lord Sri Krishna performed his pastimes.
  • Restoration of River Yamuna to her original and pristine glory.
  • Goshala for demonstrating cow protection, as cows are dear to Lord Sri Krishna and an important part of the Braj heritage.

We welcome you all to participate in this Pride of India project.